I’ve spent the last year and a half building [reads]— an online book subscription company that provides curated books without the algorithms, with my best friend Rachael Yaeger. When I’m not running [reads] I am usually sleeping in a nook or public place.

WHAT TIME DO YOU GET UP?Before [reads] I was teaching and working with kids so out of necessity I was an early morning person and would usually leave my house around 6am. I liked starting my day when everyone else was still sleeping, it felt like I got a headstart everyday. I think living in New York can feel so busy, even when you’re by yourself you’re always around people so the early mornings are my downtime. Since doing [reads] full time it’s been really nice to make my own schedule which includes a later start. :) I’ve never been a person of routines, I always walk to work a different way, get off at a different stop, try a new coffee shop and I love that every day gets to feel a little different. I usually get to the studio around 9/10am but it means that I have time to make a proper breakfast and change my outfit once or twice if I feel like it.

HOW DOES YOUR ALARM SOUND?Awful.

FIRST THING YOU DO IN THE MORNING?I try not to look at my phone first thing, it’s full of notifications and news and I think that makes me more anxious. It’s a habit I am desperately trying to break. I’ve tried to spend some time with myself in the morning, either reading, meditating or making quick to do notes with pen and paper! If I’m feeling extra ambitious I’ll go for a quick neighborhood jog.

BREAKFAST?I’m normally not a breakfast person, I usually sprint out the door and grab coffee on the way to the office! Lately my acupuncturist has reprimanded me for not eating breakfast so he’s trying to get me to eat warm things in the mornings. I try to make either a savory oatmeal with collard greens and yoghurt or eggs. I follow that with a shot of apple cider vinegar and a shot of this incredible sauerkraut juice from Dimes Deli and head out the door. I 100% should be drinking more water in the mornings. :)

WHAT TIME ARE YOU MOST PRODUCTIVE?Morning, usually if I take an hour to do work at home before heading to the studio, or if I get to the studio before 9am it’s bliss and really productive!

ANY RITUALS BEFORE GOING TO BED?I’ve always been a pretty good sleeper, when I’m sleepy (which is all of the time) I just get into bed and fall asleep. I’ve tried reading before bed but it sends me to sleep so fast that I end up reading the same chapter over and over each night. If I’m stressed or if I’ve argued with my husband about something I always have a hard time sleeping, I usually put the white noise app on and my fan on full blast and that helps me calm down and relax enough to fall asleep.

ARE YOU GETTING ENOUGH SLEEP? Hmmm that’s a tough one, I always try get 8 hours, I’m not a fun person when I haven’t had enough sleep. My husband is such a late night owl though and I love hanging out with him so usually I stay up quite late. I’ve learnt in my 30’s to just read my body better and when I feel like it’s starting to shut down I find my bed as soon as I can. My body shut down happens pretty quickly so I am renowned for either a) sleeping at parties in public places or b) leaving so quickly without saying goodbye in order to make sure I get home before I fall asleep.

FAVORITE SLEEPING POSITION?On my belly or spooning.

WHERE DO YOU SLEEP BEST?Funnily enough in public spaces.

DO YOU REMEMBER YOUR DREAMS? Hmm I always wish I could remember my dreams, I used to sort of half wake up and remember them but then had forgotten them by the time I woke up for real. I wish I kept a notebook next to my bed and forced myself to take notes on dreams. I am an avid sleep talker though which is a little scary.

DID YOU EVER HAVE AN IDEA IN A DREAM THAT YOU BROUGHT TO REAL LIFE?Not really.

DO YOU CARE WHAT YOU WEAR FOR SLEEPING?I usually wear linen or something soft and comfy to bed.

YOUR BED IN THREE WORDS.Favorite thing ever.

WEIRDEST OR MOST SPECIAL SPOT YOU EVER SLEPT IN?Oh there are so many, my friends used to joke that I was narcoleptic because I would just fall asleep anywhere. I’ve fallen asleep on a boat at a friends 21st birthday, I’ve fallen asleep on another boat at a wedding, I’ve fallen asleep at a nightclub in Stockholm, on a friends couch at a halloween party, in backyards, front yards, bars, restaurants. I’ve fallen asleep everywhere.

WHAT HAPPENS WHILE WE SLEEP? I hope we go off to magical places.

HAVE YOU EVERY USED AN APP TO TRACK YOUR SLEEP?I’ve used the bedtime app on the iphone and it freaked me out because every night it would say I had only slept like 4 hours when I had slept for 8/9. My results were really varied and all over the place which made me want to take a sleep test at the cornell testing center. I had a friend who recommended I do it just to figure out what was happening with my sleep cycle and if I was narcoleptic or could just sleep anywhere easily.

HOW MANY SHEEP DO YOU COUNT?None.

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DREAM ABOUT TONIGHT?I would dream about exploring Japan.

“I’ve never been a person of routines, I always walk to work a different way, get off at a different stop, try a new coffee shop and I love that every day gets to feel a little different.“

Sand & Such is a magazine dedicated to sleep and everything around. The moments before and after, rituals, snoozing, slumbering, drifting, breakfasts, brunches, the night, the morning, insomnia, dreams and snores...